Iowa Falls, Iowa – The Iowa Association
of Railroad Passengers will meet Saturday, October 6, 2007, in Iowa Falls.
The meeting is scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m. at the Iowa Falls Union Depot,
East Rocksylvania Avenue and Depot Street, Iowa Falls, Iowa. The depot is
now a historical museum.
Various local, state and federal
officials are being invited to address the group.
Other speakers at the meeting
are expected to include Patrick “Pat” Hendricks. Hendricks is one of the
four Commissioners from Iowa who are members of the nine state Midwest Interstate
Passenger Rail Commission. Hendricks is also president of the Iowa Association
of Railroad Passengers and State Director, Iowa Legislative Board of the
United Transportation Union (UTU).
Richard F. “Dick” Welch, member
of the Advisory Board of the National Association of Railroad Passengers
and former Region 10 Director, is also expected to update the group on national
passenger train issues.
Topics to be discussed will include
the current status of federal legislation supporting the national rail passenger
system and the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak).
Additional updates are expected
on the Amtrak feasibility study which is underway to provide passenger trains
from Chicago to Iowa City and is due out in October. Updates are also expected
on the Amtrak feasibility study completed this spring to provide passenger
trains from Chicago to Dubuque.
More updates will include the
Cedar Rapids Light Rail Initiative Committee which is working toward the
formation of the four-county Cedar-Iowa River Rail Transit Corridor Project
and what the committee is doing to make this project happen. The project
would link Cedar Rapids, Iowa City and Amana with excursion passenger train
and eventual commuter train service.
More than 2000 passengers rode
a demonstration train on the Cedar Rapids to Iowa City portion of the route
in August.
Hendricks says the public is invited,
welcomed and encouraged to attend the program and meeting.
Hendricks says the Iowa Association
of Railroad Passengers is a state-wide non-profit, non-partisan group that
supports rail service, both passenger and freight. Hendricks says the group
meets at various locations throughout the state. Previous recent meeting
sites have included: Cedar Rapids, Iowa City (Coralville), Marshalltown,
Grinnell, Little Amana, and Des Moines.
Attendees may gather informally
at 11:30 a.m. at Camp David’s Restaurant, 119 Main Street, Iowa Falls, for
a pre-meeting lunch off the menu. Meals will be paid for by each individual
participating in the lunch.
The program and business meeting
will start at 1:00 p.m. at the Iowa Falls Union Depot. The meeting is free
and open to the public.
Hendricks says that, although
not directly affiliated with the National Association of Railroad Passengers
(www.narprail.org ), the Iowa Association of Railroad Passengers is supportive
of the goals of the national group.
Membership information is available
by writing to the Iowa Association of Railroad Passengers, 3349 Southgate
Court SW Suite #108, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52404-5424 or by calling (319) 362-6824
or going to the association's website at www.simpson.edu/~iarp.
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